Here is a perfect example of what I consider a Lemon of a move.

Below is an advertisement that McDonald’s ran nationally during prime time.

I happened to catch it during a football game but saw it another 5-6 times after that.

The goal was to answer questions dealing with the quality of their food.

You know, like, “What is in your chicken nuggets?” and “Do you use real beef in your hamburgers?”

BEFORE I tell you where this campaign went horribly wrong, let’s watch the commercial…

Here is the advertisement…

 

So where do I start?

How about the fact that you have just raised objections that some people may not even have?

Maybe I always assumed you had chicken in the chicken nuggets.

Now that someone is on tv, challenging the quality of the nuggets, I am like, “Hmmm, I thought they had chicken…now I have to wonder..”

Rule #1 – Do not bring up objections people may not have.

If someone has a real issue, take on those cases one-by-one – not in a public format.

Don’t assume everyone is thinking the same thing.

McDonald’s almost attacked their entire menu (and customer base) in one commercial…

Chicken Nuggets, what is in the beef, is any of the food good for kids, do they care about their customers?

Lot’s of things to clean up there.

What about the fact that in order to get my answer I have to jump media?

McDonald’s raised a BIG question about the quality of their food. But, the only way I am going to get an answer is to fire up my computer, go to McDonald’s website, and sift through all information to find an answer to my (well, your) question.

Man, I am lazy and you just asked me to do a lot of work.

Why didn’t you just answer the question IN the commercial?*

*Course I know why, they are trying to get people to interact with them online. The problem is that MOST people won’t bother…and now you just left a bad taste in their mouth (so to speak).

Rule #2 – If you raise a negative question, give them an immediate answer.

Now, there are plenty of reasons to NOT give an immediate answer…but there better be a REWARD or BRIBE for the person to jump through hoops – not clean up your own damage.

In the end…

…there was not much upside to this advertisement.

It’s only objective is to get people to interact with them

[McDonald’s] online. And that was certainly not worth whatever fallout occurred among all the people that never bothered to log on and see the answers to the questions that now have doubts in their mind about the food quality.

Yep…this is a Lemon of campaign.